Esperance Sportive de Tunis has named former Nigerian junior international, Onuche Ogbelu, among its 25-man squad for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup set to kick off in the United States later this month.

 

Ogbelu, a 2023 graduate of Fosla Academy Karshi in Abuja, earned his place alongside an experienced lineup as the Tunisian champions gear up to face some of the world’s top clubs in Group D. The 19-year-old midfielder is one of the youngest members of the squad and is viewed as a rising talent with strong technical and tactical abilities.

 

The Blood and Gold will open their campaign on Tuesday, June 17, against Brazilian giants CR Flamengo, before taking on MLS powerhouse Los Angeles FC on June 20. They will wrap up their group-stage challenge on June 25 with a headline clash against Premier League side Chelsea, the 2021 UEFA Champions League winners.

 

Joining Ogbelu in the squad are:

 

Goalkeepers:

Bachir Ben Said, Amanallah Mammech, Sedki Debchi

 

Defenders:

Yassine Meriah, Mohamed Amin Tougai, Hamza Jelassi, Mohamed Aziz Quoudhai, Raed Bouchneiba, Mohamed Ben Ali, Mohamed Amin Ben Hamida, Aymen Ben Mohamed

 

Midfielders:

Khalil Knichi, Chehab Jebali, Mohamed Wael Derbali, Houssem Tka, Abderrahman Konaté, Onuche Ogbelu

 

Forwards:

Yan Sassi, Youssef Belaïli, Ilyas Moukwana, Achraf Jabri, Rodrigo Rodrigues, Haitham Dhaw

 

Despite FIFA’s allowance for a special transfer window ahead of the tournament, Esperance have made no new signings, with head coach Maher Kanzari choosing to maintain faith in his existing roster.

 

Esperance enters the competition with a strong domestic track record, having won eight of the last nine Tunisian league titles, including the most recent season. However, their continental form has seen a dip since their back-to-back CAF Champions League victories in 2018 and 2019. They finished as runners-up in 2023, but have otherwise struggled to make a return to continental dominance, exiting in the quarter-finals in 2020 and 2024, and reaching the semi-finals in 2021 and 2022.

 

They qualified for the Club World Cup as Africa’s third-ranked club in CAF’s continental rankings, joining Al Ahly (Egypt), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), and Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) as African representatives in the expanded competition.

 

The tournament presents a major stage for emerging talents like Ogbelu, who will be keen to showcase his abilities against some of the most formidable clubs in global football.